A look back at the top games of 2016-17

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Naugatuck’s Tyler Deitelbaum (14) eyes the end zone after taking a handoff from Michael Plasky (8) Sept. 9 versus Derby in Naugatuck. Naugatuck rallied from a 15-point deficit at halftime to win the game, 44-21. –FILE PHOTO

Before the 2016-17 high school sports season fades too far into the memory banks, we would like to take a look back at some of the top games, matches and races the student-athletes at Naugatuck High and Woodland gave their fans.

Naugatuck rallies for opening-season win: The Naugatuck football team found itself trailing Derby 21-6 at halftime in the season-opener on Sept. 9. The Greyhounds didn’t panic as they stormed back and put up 38 points in the second half to win 44-21.

NVL chasing Naugy boys: The Naugatuck boys cross country team swept past Watertown, Torrington and Waterbury Career on Oct. 11 to finish its third straight undefeated regular season under head coach Bill Hanley. The ‘Hounds went on to win their fourth straight NVL championship a week later at Veterans Park in Watertown.

Naugy earns another title: The coaches may have changed but the results stayed the same. The Naugatuck boys soccer team claimed its fourth straight NVL title, its sixth in the last nine years, with a 3-0 win over Oxford on Nov. 3. The title was the first under head coach Ryan Kinne, who took over for retired coach Art Nunes and was named the NVL coach of the year.

Woodland boys earn first state tourney win: Under head coach Tony Moutinho, the Woodland boys soccer team won its first state tournament game on Nov. 7 with a 6-0 victory over Wolcott Tech in the first round of the Class M tournament. The Hawks have been in the state tournament in 12 of the last 15 years and finally got a win to show for their efforts.

Naugy’s amazing comeback in states: The Naugatuck volleyball team battled to the end in every match this past season, including taking NVL champion Torrington and league runner-up Seymour to five games. The Greyhounds’ tenacity was tested on Nov. 7 in the opening round of the Class L state tournament when they fell behind Ledyard 2-0. Facing elimination, Naugy stormed back to win game three 25-9, won game four 25-15, and then sealed the comeback by taking game five 15-9.

Woodland runs to first victory: It was a long, hard season for the Hawks on the gridiron under first year head coach Chris Moffo. But on a bitterly cold night Nov. 11 at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury the Hawks were victorious for the first time on the year — a 40-20 win over Kennedy warmed things up a bit. Junior Tim Smith barreled ahead for 280 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way.

Woodland’s Isaac Negron (33) scores a touchdown versus Kennedy Nov. 11 at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury. The Hawks won the game, 40-20, for their first win of the year. –FILE PHOTO

Naugy, Cross go down to the wire: Defending NVL boys swim champion Holy Cross met up with the runner-up, Naugy, in a regular season dual meet at Kennedy on Jan. 27. The much-anticipated showdown lived up to its billing as the meet was tied 86-86 going into the final event. Holy Cross squeaked out a 94-92 win and a few weeks later held off Naugy again to win the NVL as Naugy finished runner-up for the second year in a row.

Throw the records out: The boys basketball season took our local teams in different directions. The Naugy boys (10-12) battled to a spot in the postseason while the Hawks (3-17) took a while to get going. On Feb. 3, the records went out the window as the teams got down to business. The game was tied at 17 with four minutes to go into halftime when Naugatuck rattled off 10 points to take a 27-17 lead, and the momentum, into the break. Naugy escaped with a 54-43 win.

Iron Division champs: At 14-6 in the regular season, the Woodland baseball team reached the NVL tournament for the first time since 2010. The Hawks may have been young, but they took advantage of every opportunity that came their way. On the final day of the regular season Woodland captured the Iron Division title with a 4-2 win over Wolcott. Zack Graveline went six innings and allowed just one hit. The Hawks offense was fueled by Matt Szturma’s two-run homer.

Naugy wins Class LL opener: The Naugatuck baseball team did what the Greyhounds haven’t done on the diamond since 2014: advance to the second round of the Class LL state tournament. On May 30, Naugatuck defeated Trumbull 4-0 behind the complete-game shutout effort of senior pitcher Steve Marinaro in the first round of the tournament. Corey Plasky led the offense with two hits.